1: You correctly predicted a few weeks back that Rick Perry’s popularity would decline as his campaign received more scrutiny. But as that’s happened, why haven’t your poll numbers rebounded?

A: Well, we’re looking at the state-by-state nature of this race and that’s what we’re focusing on. We’re building that team in Iowa of support. We enjoyed a lot of support this summer, we see that that support is still there and we’re continuing to maintain that level of support. One way to look at the polls is as a national beauty contest. But (we’re focusing on) individuals, and what individuals are actually going to come out and do the voting.

2: It’s well-known that you were a foster parent to 23 children. How did that experience change you and your family?

A: It really stretched us to think could we bring new children in. And then we took in one and then another and then another, and we just found that it was very good for these kids, and we felt like it was rewarding. We felt like we were really contributing (to their lives), but they also enhanced our life. And we saw that, for our biological children, it was a great experience because our kids learned very quickly that they aren’t the only people in the world. For our foster children … they were able to see how a family structure can work. Everybody benefited.

3: You’ve cautioned, citing George Washington, that the U.S. should avoid foreign entanglements, but you’ve also voiced unwavering support for Israel. Why is Israel a possible entanglement worth risking?

A: Well, I think Washington’s words were that a lot of nations have issues with other nations, so we need to be very careful to make sure there is a vital American national interest before we get entangled. We do have a vital American national interest with Israel because we are allies and we are partners in many ways. Israel was the first democracy in the Middle East region and the only democracy for a long amount of time. Many of the people in Israel repatriated themselves to Israel from the United States. So we have a big deposit of people who are from the United States in Israel and also we have a lot of Israelis who have come to the United States. So there is a real kinship. We also have a kinship culturally with our religious background, and so much of culture is defined by that. Also, Israel has taken on that same political structure of democracy and people’s representation, and also has a market-oriented (economic) structure.

4: Your economic policies rely heavily on tax cuts for businesses. What assurances do middle-class people have that cutting taxes for corporations is going to actually create jobs and positively affect them?

A: My Real Jobs, Right Now plan isn’t just a tax plan. That’s one component. What I want to do is open up the economy. If you pull back on the regulatory burden, if you bring down the cost for job creators, they want to grow. They want to expand and build their businesses and have more products, more services. They want to be competitive. They’ll do it if we take the shackles off of them and the costs. You invest and you want a return on your investment, but if you have to add the cost of a high tax burden and a high regulatory burden, you don’t invest, and that’s why we aren’t seeing the growth in jobs. This isn’t about trying to benefit a few at the expense of other people. This is having everyone benefit. That’s what I want. I just want to level the playing field, and then people rise or fall on their own merit.

A: Oh, good question. I couldn’t say a favorite because I read all the time, but for nonfiction, I love biography and I love history. I love David McCullough’s “John Adams,” and I read his recent one about Americans in Paris in 1776. As far as fiction, I love F. Scott Fitzgerald. I thought he was a wonderful novelist. He’s a Minnesotan. Garrison Keillor wrote “Lake Wobegon Days” — that’s a great book too. But Vince Flynn — now I’m giving you a lot of Minnesota authors — but Vince Flynn writes great adventure thriller novels. I sit on the House Intel Committee, and he deals with all the issues that we deal with on intel, so if I had to be current I would pick Vince Flynn and his recent book “American Assassin.”